Apparatus and methods for conveying objects

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are conveyors and methods for making the conveyors. In one embodiment, a conveyor comprises a modular conveyor belt that includes a plurality of mat-top chains having a plurality of cavities and a plurality of first rollers disposed in the cavities of the mat-top chains. The conveyor further includes at least one second roller that operatively couples to the first rollers such that the first rollers rotate as the conveyor belt travels along the second roller. The invention can also be construed as providing the method for conveying objects. The method can comprise the steps of driving a modular conveyor belt in a direction of belt travel; rotating a plurality of first rollers disposed into the modular conveyor belt in a manner in which slippage of the first rollers is reduced; and conveying objects on the modular conveyor belt using the rotating first rollers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. utilityapplication entitled, “Apparatus and Methods for Conveying Objects,”having Ser. No. 10/719,805, filed Nov. 21, 2003, which is entirelyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention generally relates to power-driven conveyors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Switch conveyors have been developed that include a modular conveyorbelt that includes rows of rollers. The rollers are disposed in themodular conveyor belt and are angled relative to the direction of travelof the belt such that they can laterally divert objects placed on thebelt. The conveyor includes fixed longitudinal wear strips that arelocated below the conveyor belt. As the conveyor belt travels, therollers travel along the longitudinal wear strips causing the rollers torotate for the purpose of diverting objects.

The use of the wear strips to rotate the rollers causes the rollers toslip in that the rollers intermittently slide along the wear strips.Such slippage is undesirable in that it results in inconsistent orinefficient diverting of the objects.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are conveyors and methods for conveying objects. In oneembodiment, a conveyor comprises a modular conveyor belt that includes aplurality of mat-top chains having a plurality of cavities and aplurality of first rollers disposed in the cavities of the mat-topchains. The conveyor further includes at least one second roller thatoperatively couples to the first rollers such that the first rollersrotate as the conveyor belt travels along the second roller.

In one embodiment, a method comprises driving a modular conveyor belt ina direction of belt travel; rotating a plurality of first rollersdisposed into the modular conveyor belt in a manner in which slippage ofthe first rollers is reduced; and conveying objects on the modularconveyor belt using the rotating first rollers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed apparatus and methods can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a section of a conveyorthat includes a conveyor belt having a plurality of first rollers thatare operatively coupled to a second roller.

FIG. 2 is a detail view of a section of the conveyor of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of a section of the conveyor ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an embodiment of a section of the conveyor ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram that illustrates an embodiment of a method forconveying objects.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a firstroller.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the roller of FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed are conveyors and methods for conveying objects that reduceslippage of conveyor rollers. Due to that reduced slippage, theconveyors more effectively divert objects on the conveyor belt. In someembodiments, the conveyor includes first rollers disposed in theconveyor belt and at least one second roller located underneath theconveyor belt that can rotate in a direction transverse to the directionof travel of the conveyor belt. As the conveyor belt travels along thesecond roller, the second roller operatively couples with the firstrollers causing the first rollers and the second roller to rotate.Because of the rotation of the second roller, the first rollers rotatewith reduced slippage.

Referring now in more detail to the figures in which like referencednumerals identifying corresponding parts, FIG. 1 illustrates aperspective view of an embodiment of a section of a conveyor 100 inwhich a plurality of first rollers 104 are disposed in a conveyor belt102. As indicated in this figure, the conveyor belt 102 is modular andincludes at least one mat-top chain 110. The mat-top chain 110 has aplurality of cavities 114, in which the first rollers 104 are disposed.By way of example, the first rollers comprise plastic wheels thatinclude outer rubber layers or tires (see discussion of FIGS. 6A and6B). That configuration increases friction between the first rollers 104and surfaces that the rollers contact (i.e., the surfaces of the secondrollers 106 described below) so as the reduce slippage of the firstrollers. The first rollers 104 are aligned at an angle α (shown in FIG.3) relative to the direction of the travel of the conveyor belt 102 soas to laterally divert objects conveyed by the conveyor belt. By way ofexample, α may range from approximately 20 to 70 degrees. Because thefirst rollers 104 are used to divert objects, the first rollers may bedesignated as diverting rollers. The mat-top chain 110 of FIG. 1includes hinge elements 112 that can be used to link other mat-topchains 110 to form a continuous conveyor belt 102.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the conveyor 100 further includes aplurality of second rollers 106 and support members 108. The secondrollers 106 are located underneath the conveyor belt 102 between thesupport members 108 and are free to rotate in a direction that istransverse, e.g., substantially perpendicular, to the direction oftravel of the conveyor belt indicated by arrow A. By way of example, thesecond rollers 106 comprise elongated metal rollers that includeeurethane outer sleeves. Because the second rollers 106 rotate in adirection that is transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyorbelt 102, the second rollers 106 may be designated as transverserollers. As the conveyor belt 102 travels in direction A along thesecond rollers 106, the second rollers can be positioned to engage thefirst rollers 104. Such engagement causes the first rollers 104 and thesecond rollers 106 to rotate. That rotation is facilitated by the highcoefficient of friction that exists between the rubber layers of thefirst rollers 104 and the eurethane sleeves of the second rollers 106.As the first rollers 104 rotate along the second rollers 106, the firstrollers pass over from first ends 118 to second ends 120 of the secondrollers to trace a helical path 308 (shown in FIG. 3) on the secondrollers. Because the second rollers 106 rotate when they engage thefirst rollers 104 as opposed to being fixed as prior art wear strips,the first rollers rotate with reduced slippage. In fact, after aninitial start up period, the first rollers 104 rotate along the secondrollers 106 with nearly no slipping. This, in turn, enables moreeffective diverting of the objects carried by the conveyor belt 102. Forexample, objects can be diverted more quickly, in a shorter amount ofspace (i.e., length of conveyor), or both.

In some embodiments, the second rollers 106 are vertically displaceableso as to be capable of being moved toward or away from the mat-top chain110 to engage or disengage the first rollers 104. The vertical movementof the second rollers 106 can be facilitated by various components suchas an air actuator, hydraulic actuator, ball screw actuator, or solenoidactuator. Alternatively, however, in cases in which the first rollers104 are always to be driven, the second rollers 106 are not displaceablesuch that they continuously engage the first rollers as the conveyorbelt 102 travels in direction A. In yet a further alternative, thesecond rollers 106 are horizontally displaceable so as to be broughtinto and out of contact with first rollers 104. Such an arrangement maybe particularly advantageous in situations in which the conveyor belt isprovided with transverse rows of first rollers 102 that alternatinglyface different directions (e.g., a leftward direction, rightwarddirection, the leftward direction, and so forth across the row)).Horizontal displacement of the second rollers 106 in such a case mayenable switching between diversion of objects in two separate (e.g.,opposite) directions (e.g., from a leftward direction to a rightwarddirection and vice versa).

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a section of the conveyor of FIG. 1. Asshown in FIG. 2, the mat-top chain 110 includes hinge elements 112 thathave multiple interleaved hinge elements 206, each of which has a hole208 that is axially aligned with the hole 208 of an adjacent element206. In order to link two mat-top chains 110, the axially-aligned holes208 of the chains 110 are aligned and a rod (not shown) is placedthrough the axially-aligned holes 208. A plurality of mat-top chains 110may therefore be linked together to form a continuous conveyor belt 102.

As described above, the mat-top chain 110 further includes cavities 114in which the first rollers 104 are disposed and in which the firstrollers can rotate. As the conveyor belt 102 travels in direction A, thesecond rollers 106 can be made to engage the first rollers 104 causingthe first rollers to rotate in direction B. The objects on the conveyorbelt 102 can therefore be conveyed in a direction C. Notably, the secondrollers rotate in direction D.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of a section of the conveyor ofFIG. 1. In FIG. 3, the first rollers 104 are arranged along the axes302. The mat-top chain 110 includes first roller axles 306 that arealigned on the rotational axes 304. The first roller axles 306 arecoupled with the mat-top chain 110 and disposed within the cavities 114.The first roller axles 306 extend through openings of the first rollers104 to enable the first rollers 104 to rotate about their axes 302 whenengaged with the second rollers 106. The alignment of the first rollers104 enables the first rollers 104 from below to convey objects on theconveyor belt 102 at an angle α relative to the direction of travel A.

As is further depicted in FIG. 3, the second rollers 106 are locatedunderneath the conveyor belt 102 such that the second rollers 106 canengage the first rollers 104 from below as the belt travels in directionA along the second rollers 106.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an embodiment of a section of the conveyor ofFIG. 1. The mat-top chain 110 has a height dimension 402 that is smallerthan the height dimension 404 of the first rollers 104. As the belt 102travels in direction A and the first rollers 104 engage the secondrollers 106, the first rollers rotate in direction B and the secondrollers 106 rotate in an opposing direction D (counterclockwise in theorientation shown in FIG. 4).

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram that illustrates an embodiment of a method 500for conveying objects on a conveyor belt. Beginning with block 502 ofFIG. 5, the method 500 includes driving a conveyor belt in firstdirection.

In block 504, first rollers within the conveyor belt are rotated in amanner in which slippage of the first rollers is reduced. For example,as the conveyor belt travels in direction A, the first rollers engagesecond rollers that are likewise free to rotate.

In block 506, the objects on the conveyor belt 102 are diverted in asecond direction using the first rollers. The objects can be displacedtowards either the sides or the middle of the conveyor belt.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an example embodiment for the first rollersdescribed above. As indicated in these figures, a roller 600 comprisesan inner wheel 602 surrounded by an outer tire 604. By way of example,the inner wheel is constructed of a lightweight, rigid material, such asa plastic or metal, and the outer tire 604 is made of a resilientmaterial having a high coefficient of friction, such as a rubber. Theouter-tire 604 is provided around an outer surface 608 of the innerwheel 602 (FIG. 6B). The inner wheel 602 also comprises an opening 606through which a roller axle may pass to rotatably mount the roller 600in a conveyor belt (e.g., belt 102). Due to the outer tire 606, improvedgripping of a surface, such as that of the second rollers, can beachieved thereby reducing slippage.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merelypossible examples. Many variations and modifications may be made to theabove-described embodiments. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure.

1. A conveyor comprising: a conveyor belt including a plurality ofcavities and a plurality of diverting rollers, each diverting rollerbeing disposed in a cavity; and a transverse roller that is configuredto operatively couple to at least some of the diverting rollers to causethose diverting rollers to rotate as they travel along the transverseroller.
 2. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein the transverseroller is located underneath the conveyor belt and the transverse rollerrotates in a direction transverse to the rotational direction of thediverting rollers.
 3. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein thetransverse roller is positioned to rotate substantially perpendicular toa direction of belt travel.
 4. The conveyor as defined in claim 1,wherein the conveyor belt comprises mat-top chains that include hingeelements that link multiple mat-top chains together to form the conveyorbelt.
 5. The conveyor as defined in claim 4, wherein the hinge elementscomprise interleaved hinge elements having axially-aligned holes.
 6. Theconveyor as defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality ofsupport members that support the conveyor belt.
 7. The conveyor asdefined in claim 1, wherein the transverse roller is verticallydisplaceable toward or away from the conveyor belt, wherein when thetransverse roller is displaced toward the conveyor belt to engage the atleast some diverting rollers, the transverse roller rotates the at leastsome diverting rollers.
 8. A conveyor as defined in claim 7, wherein thetransverse roller is vertically displaced toward or away from theconveyor belt using an air actuator, hydraulic actuator, ball screwactuator, or solenoid actuator.
 9. The conveyor as defined in claim 1,wherein rotation of the transverse roller causes the at least somediverting rollers to rotate with reduced slippage.
 10. The conveyor asdefined in claim 1, wherein the diverting rollers are aligned in thecavities at an angle that is different from a direction of belt travelenabling the diverting rollers to convey objects toward the sides or themiddle of the conveyor belt.
 11. A conveyor comprising: a conveyor beltincluding a plurality of mat-top chains having a plurality of cavitiesand a plurality of diverting rollers, each diverting roller beingdisposed in a cavity of the mat-top chains; and transverse rollers thatoperatively couple to the diverting rollers causing the divertingrollers to rotate as they travel along the transverse rollers and thetransverse rollers to rotate in a direction transverse to the rotationaldirection of the diverting rollers, wherein the rotation of thetransverse rollers causes the diverting rollers to rotate with reducedslippage.
 12. The conveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein thetransverse rollers are located underneath the conveyor belt.
 13. Theconveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein the transverse rollers arepositioned to rotate substantially perpendicular to a direction of belttravel.
 14. The conveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein the conveyorbelt comprises mat-top chains that include hinge elements that linkmultiple mat-top chains together to form the conveyor belt.
 15. Theconveyor as defined in claim 14, wherein the hinge elements compriseinterleaved hinge elements having axially-aligned holes.
 16. Theconveyor as defined in claim 11, further comprising a plurality ofsupport members that support the conveyor belt.
 17. The conveyor asdefined in claim 11, wherein the transverse rollers are verticallydisplaceable toward or away from the conveyor belt, wherein when thetransverse rollers are displaced toward the conveyor belt to engage thediverting rollers, the transverse rollers rotate the diverting rollers.18. A conveyor as defined in claim 17, wherein the transverse rollersare vertically displaced toward or away from the conveyor belt using anair actuator, hydraulic actuator, ball screw actuator, or solenoidactuator.
 19. The conveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein the divertingrollers are aligned in the cavities of the mat-top chains at an anglethat is different from a direction of belt travel enabling the divertingrollers to convey objects toward the sides or the middle of the conveyorbelt.
 20. A method for conveying objects, the method comprising: drivinga conveyor belt in a direction of belt travel; rotating a plurality ofdiverting rollers disposed in the conveyor belt in a manner in whichslippage of the diverting rollers is reduced; and conveying objects onthe conveyor belt using the rotating diverting rollers.
 21. The methodas defined in claim 20, wherein rotating the diverting rollers comprisesengaging the diverting rollers with a transverse roller.
 22. The methodas defined in claim 20, wherein rotating the diverting rollers comprisesrotating a transverse roller in a direction substantially transverse tothe rotational direction of the diverting rollers.
 23. The method asdefined in claim 20, wherein rotating the diverting rollers comprisesselectively rotating the diverting rollers with a transverse roller. 24.The method as defined in claim 23, wherein selectively rotating thediverting rollers comprises vertically displacing the transverse rollertoward the conveyor belt and engaging the diverting rollers, thetransverse roller rotating the diverting rollers.
 25. The method asdefined in claim 20, wherein rotating the diverting rollers comprisesrotating the diverting rollers at an angle that is different from thedirection of the belt travel.
 26. The method as defined in claim 20,wherein conveying objects on the conveyor belt comprises conveyingobjects toward the sides or the middle of the conveyor belt.